6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Brain & Nervous System156 citations

Microwave irradiation affects radial-arm maze performance in the rat.

Bioeffects Seen

Lai H, Horita A, Guy AW, · 1994

View Original Abstract
Share:

Rats exposed to pulsed 2450 MHz microwaves for 45 minutes showed impaired spatial working memory in a radial-arm maze.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

After 45 minutes of exposure to pulsed 2450 MHz microwaves at 1 mW/cm², rats showed retarded learning in a radial-arm maze task, indicating a spatial working memory deficit. The memory deficit was reversed by pretreatment with the cholinergic agonist physostigmine or the opiate antagonist naltrexone, but not by the peripheral opiate antagonist naloxone methiodide. The researchers concluded that both cholinergic and endogenous opioid neurotransmitter systems in the brain are involved in the microwave-induced spatial memory deficit.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.6 W/kg
Power Density
1 mW/cm²
Source/Device
2450 MHz
Exposure Duration
45 min

Exposure Context

This study used 1 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

This study used 0.6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.45 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.45 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Microwave irradiation affects radial-arm maze performance in the rat.

After 45 min of exposure to pulsed 2450 MHz microwaves (2 microseconds pulses, 500 pps, 1 mW/cm2, av...

These data indicate that both cholinergic and endogenous opioid neurotransmitter systems in the brain are involved in the microwave-induced spatial memory deficit.

Cite This Study
Lai H, Horita A, Guy AW, (1994). Microwave irradiation affects radial-arm maze performance in the rat. Bioelectromagnetics 15(2):95-104, 1994.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_1994_microwave_irradiation_affects_radialarm_1133,
  author = {Lai H and Horita A and Guy AW and},
  title = {Microwave irradiation affects radial-arm maze performance in the rat.},
  year = {1994},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8024608/},
}
PubMed: 8024608

Cited By (156 papers)

View all 156 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Rats exposed for 45 minutes to pulsed 2450 MHz microwaves showed retarded learning in the radial-arm maze, indicating a deficit in spatial working memory.
Pretreatment with the cholinergic agonist physostigmine or the opiate antagonist naltrexone reversed the behavioral deficit.
Pretreatment with the peripheral opiate antagonist naloxone methiodide showed no reversal of the microwave-induced deficit.
The researchers concluded that both cholinergic and endogenous opioid neurotransmitter systems in the brain are involved in the microwave-induced spatial memory deficit.
The exposure used pulsed 2450 MHz microwaves with 2 microsecond pulses at 500 pulses per second, 1 mW/cm² power density, and an average whole-body SAR of 0.6 W/kg for 45 minutes.